enslaved; enslaving; enslaves
: to force into or as if into slavery : subjugate
The building holds bronze statues of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, who were born, and enslaved, on Maryland's Eastern Shore.—
Evan Osnos
Evan OsnosIt has long been known that Nordic warriors established outposts more than a millennium ago on Poland's Baltic coast, enslaving indigenous Slavic peoples to supply a booming slave trade, as well trading in salt, amber and other commodities.—Andrew Higgins
Andrew HigginsThis oddly contradictory view of artificial intelligence is somehow a perfect symbol of AI's place in our imaginations at this moment in history—something that will eliminate countless jobs, a boost for creativity, an end to drudgery, or perhaps a monstrous force that will take over our planet and enslave humanity.—Minda Zetlin
Minda Zetlin
enslavement
in-ˈslāv-mənt 
noun
en-
plural enslavements
… the continued enslavement of millions of human beings after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
—Juan Cole
Juan Cole
sexual/economic enslavement
Examples of enslave in a Sentence
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This erudite and thought-provoking book tackles a dominant issue of the day, and indeed of the last two centuries: whether the forward march of technology promises to free humankind from want and drudgery or instead threatens to enslave and even extinguish human civilization.
—Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Following the election of President Abraham Lincoln, who opposed the expansion of slavery, 11 southern states seceded from the United States to form the Confederacy, or the Confederate States of America, to preserve slavery an institution that enslaved millions of African Americans.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 28 July 2025
Shalla-Bal was later crowned the Empress of Zenn-La after Radd sacrificed himself to be enslaved as the servant of the planet eater to save his world from obliteration.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 14 July 2025
According to the town, in 1820, nearly half of Morgan County’s residents were enslaved, with that number reaching 70 percent of the county’s almost 10,000 people by 1860.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2025
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Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Following the election of President Abraham Lincoln, who opposed the expansion of slavery, 11 southern states seceded from the United States to form the Confederacy, or the Confederate States of America, to preserve slavery an institution that enslaved millions of African Americans.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 28 July 2025
Shalla-Bal was later crowned the Empress of Zenn-La after Radd sacrificed himself to be enslaved as the servant of the planet eater to save his world from obliteration.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 14 July 2025
According to the town, in 1820, nearly half of Morgan County’s residents were enslaved, with that number reaching 70 percent of the county’s almost 10,000 people by 1860.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enslave
Cite this Entry
“Enslave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enslave. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.
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